The battle continued, now a test of willpower. Though utterly exhausted, Li Haochen gritted his teeth and persevered. He was only human; could he resist the temptation of the vast sea of money?
As time spun by, it was already five in the morning. Li Haochen’s mind was clear, but his body moved like a puppet.
The bites became fewer. In the initial few seconds, he’d hook a fish; now, it took one or two minutes. Li Haochen’s limbs grew heavier, making even unhooking fish a struggle.
In the distance, a sliver of light pushed back the darkness. Colors gradually returned to the sky. Li Haochen hadn’t hooked a fish in five or six minutes, so he decided to end this marathon of fishing.
The fishing was over, but a monumental task remained. Li Haochen looked across the entire deck; the mountain of spring bream made his stiffened body tremble.
As the sun was about to rise, the temperature began to climb. Li Haochen had to race against time. Left too long, the fish would spoil. After a night of hard work, he couldn’t let his earnings go to waste.
Li Haochen, enduring the pain, gritted his teeth and opened the icebox, struggling to lift dozens of plastic crates. He didn’t bother sorting them by size. As long as a crate was full, he sealed it and tossed it into the icebox. It was a rough method, but he had to save time.
Crate after crate, by the time the last plastic crate was used, there were still quite a few fish left on deck. He had no choice but to casually throw them into the icebox. As long as they were fresh, it was fine.
Half an hour later, he had finally moved the small mountain. Looking at the full icebox, Li Haochen clenched his fist and let out a low roar.
He locked the icebox, leaned on the ship’s railing, and walked slowly, his expression pained. Once inside the cabin, he collapsed onto the tatami mat, oblivious to the fishy smell on his clothes. Utterly exhausted, body and soul, he fell fast asleep.
When he woke, it was already past noon. Li Haochen shook his head, still groggy. His whole body ached, his head felt swollen, and he was extremely uncomfortable. His stomach had been empty for a long time.
Reluctantly, Li Haochen pushed himself up, rubbing his temples and the space between his eyebrows to alleviate the throbbing in his head.
As he stood up, his phone, resting nearby, clattered to the floor, its screen lighting up. Li Haochen had to bend down to pick it up.
“It’s half past eleven.”
Li Haochen picked up his phone, checked it for cracks, and breathed a sigh of relief, slipping it into his pocket.
He turned towards the kitchen, but after a few steps, he realized something was wrong. He suddenly smacked his head. “Damn it, I overslept.”
Li Haochen ignored his hunger and rushed to the helm, quickly starting the engine. After retrieving the anchor chain, he eagerly pushed the throttle.
In a short while, he was at full speed, heading towards the Binhai Pier. Li Haochen pressed his forehead, a wry smile on his face. It was too late for self-reproach; he could only do his best. “The competition ends at five this afternoon. I hope I can still make it.”
Less than half an hour into the journey, Li Haochen became unbearably hungry, his face turning somewhat pale. However, he didn’t dare stop to cook. He had to race back against time.
He took out his binoculars, scanned ahead, and then opened the maritime chart to check the nearby waters for any reef areas. Once he confirmed everything was clear, Li Haochen rushed down to the kitchen, grabbed a few Snickers bars and two cans of Red Bull from the refrigerator, and frantically headed back up.
The course had slightly deviated during his absence. Fortunately, it hadn't been long. Li Haochen quickly corrected the course and wolfed down the Snickers bars. After chugging a can of Red Bull, he felt a little better.
The effect of Red Bull was commendable, but the duration wasn't long enough. Within half an hour, he felt more fatigued. Looking at the other can in his hand, Li Haochen hesitated to drink it. Instead, he rushed down again to brew a large pot of black coffee.
A sip of the bitter black coffee truly invigorated his mind, instantly bringing clarity. This large pot of coffee was quite effective, allowing Li Haochen to stay alert for over three hours.
However, after drinking such a large pot of coffee, his bladder paid the price. He held it for a long time, but couldn’t resist anymore. He had to reduce speed to 8 knots and sprint to the toilet. Just as he dropped his trousers, a stream of urine gushed out, splashing noisily for a full minute.
“Phew~ That’s better.”
After urinating, Li Haochen shivered. Without bothering to wash his hands, he ran back to the helm, quickly corrected the course, and pushed the throttle to the limit…
At the Binhai Pier, a dense crowd had already surrounded the stage, creating a scene of utter congestion. Returning boats were queuing in an orderly fashion for the final assessment.
The Sea King was among the first to return. Its strength was evident. The catch from its final trip, combined with previous hauls, amounted to a staggering 1.65 million, more than double that of the second-place boat. However, the second-place boat, the Shanfeng, hadn’t returned yet, leaving some suspense.
As more competition boats returned, the entire pier erupted. Countless large fish were laid out across the square. There was even a small boat that had caught a marlin over six meters long, weighing more than 600 kilograms. The fish was almost as long as the boat, and it was truly a mystery how they got it aboard.
This single fish ignited the entire venue. Its owner instantly became the star of the show, drawing everyone’s attention, even overshadowing the Sea King for a moment.
Shortly after, the Shanfeng returned. After the final tally, another boat that had surpassed one million was declared, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers. However, it was still far behind the Sea King.
Liu Yufeng looked at the Sea King, pouting, and shouted with some dissatisfaction, “Hmph, just because you have more people. Next time, I’ll flip you.”
As soon as he spoke, the crowd burst into even more enthusiastic cheers. Liu Yufeng turned his head and froze on the spot, clutching his chest, his breathing becoming difficult. His face was a mask of disbelief at what he was seeing. “It’s not real… this isn’t real…”
A seemingly unknown fishing boat named Black Rider suddenly appeared. Its final audited data showed an astonishing surge, a meteoric rise that stabilized at 1.63 million, causing the crew of the Sea King to go weak at the knees.
“Awesome, that was thrilling.”
“Black Rider, true to its name.”
“Exactly, what I saw just now was even more nerve-wracking than the competition itself. Only 20,000 short. It would have been amazing if it was a complete upset.”
Below the stage, countless discussions arose, filled with gasps of amazement, regrets, and sheer excitement.
In the last half hour, all the competing boats, except for the Starlight, had returned.
On stage, Xie Baolian and Murong Yanran watched their watches with concern. Less than ten minutes remained. “This brat is asking for a beating. When he gets back, I’ll make sure his backside is sore, hmph.”
A few minutes later, Yang Tao approached. “Ms. Ran, all VIP guests are in position.”
Murong Yanran glanced at the pier outside, sighed, and then, regaining her confident CEO demeanor, turned and walked towards the main stage.
At that moment, a long ship’s horn sounded, drawing the attention of most people.
“Phew~ Finally made it.”